According to the book “The Women’s Wheel of Life” there are three “archetypes” representing the power of elder women. These are the Crone, the Sorceress and the Dark Mother.

The Crone comes to terms with endings, she is at peace and yet has work to do. The Crone nurtures with the wisdom stored in every cell of her body. Her Blood Mystery is menopause, completed. She feels herself to be the weaver of the fabric of existence, sense the warp and woof of life and aligns her activities accordingly.The Sorceressis highly introspective yet surging with power. She is a medicine woman or shaman, wielding power rather than seeking it. Her power is tremendously strong; it is the mysterious force of transmutation, enabled by love, a love so great, wise and universal that it is virtually unstoppable.

The Dark Mother’s stage is that of impending and actual death. She stands at the portal between life and death, surrendering to the turning of the wheel and the mystery of the unbroken circle, moving from darkness toward the light.

Here’s what one woman wrote about her crone retreat and ceremony at Sacred Groves:

“I first came to Sacred Groves a year ago at the urging of a trusted friend, when I was 59 and getting a divorce after a 30 year relationship. Therese Charvet performed a Crone Initiation Ceremony for me. The 3 hour ceremony, preceded by my choice of 2 days of solitude in the Moonlodge, established this new, open woman who I sensed was inside me and who I am now becoming. Sacred Groves, and specifically Therese, offers all of us the rare opportunity to go deep into the processes that are profoundly missing in our age and our culture. Whether you come to drum, dance, confess, wail, listen to the birds, or learn of women’s history; in community, solitude, or in ritual, Therese and her partner Tere offer you a safe and immensely supportive place to transition, to heal, to grow, to understand.Â I continue to participate regularly with drum and dance events at Sacred Groves, because it’s become a place to come home to â€“ home to myself. Thank you, Therese and Tere.”From Barbara Liggett, musician and wise woman.

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